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“No…it is part of what we deal with as liaisons for the Goddess.” The priestess took a deep breath and dabbed her eyes with the long sleeve of her white robe. “I grieve for you, Warrior—truly, it was a terrible way to lose your mate.”
“It was long ago,” Courick said, looking away. “But every day I live with the fact that I failed her.”
“You should not be so hard on yourself,” the priestess said gently. “You left her in an area you thought was safe and you secured your ship before you left—the death of your matewasn’tyour fault.”
“And yet I still bear the guilt,” he growled. “But now that you have unearthed my pain, may I have the blessing of the Goddess?”
“No—for I cannot give you a blessing to run from your problems.” The priestess shook her head. “But Icangive you what you really need—absolution from your vow.”
“What?” Courick frowned. “What are you talking about? What do you know about the vow I took?”
“I saw more than just your pain—I saw the aftermath as well,” the priestess told him. “You took a vow never to take another mate, but now the Goddess has offered you a second chance. She expects you to take it and so I absolve you of the vow. It no longer binds you.”
“But…but the female I was with lied to me and deceived me!” Courick exclaimed. “She manipulated me—made me act in ways I never would have if she hadn’t lied!”
The priestess gave him a level look.
“Warrior—be honest with yourself. You enjoyed the things you did with this female—she let you care for her in ways no one else ever had. You are—at your core—a giver. She let you be open to that part of yourself and you loved it—every minute of it.”
“But sheliedto me!” Courick repeated.
“Did she?” The priestess arched an eyebrow at him. “Or did you simply not give her the chance to explain?”
“I don’t see how she can explain away what I saw with my own two eyes,” Courick growled, frowning.
“Your pride is hurt but even more than that, you fear to risk your heart again,” the priestess told him. “You must release that fear, Warrior. The Goddess wouldn’t give you a second chance at love only to snatch it away again.”
“She snatched away my first mate, as you saw,” Courick said bitterly. “How can I trust her a second time?”
“Pain comes to us all—some pain is so devastating we feel like it might break us,” the priestess said quietly. “But the Goddess will never give you more than you can bear. She loves her children, though sometimes it is hard to see that.”
“Extremelyhard to see,” Courick admitted. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. “Very well—what must I do?”
“You must go back to Earth—to this new mate, this second chance the Goddess had given you,” the priestess said sternly. “Even now you are in grave danger of losing her, Warrior.”
“What?” Courick’s heart began to pound. “What do you mean? Is she in danger? Is someone threatening her?”
His mind flew back to the scene he’d witnessed at the club—the human male holding Addison down and beating her until she was bloody. Surely she wouldn’t go back to that place, not after such a bad experience—would she?
But even if she didn’t go back to the Torture Palace, what if that lowlife scum of a human male had somehow followed her? What if he was stalking her right now, about to attack?
Awful images of his last mate, Yasha, filled his head. Her piercing screams for help and the way he had found her—bloody and beaten with one of the Sythian raiders on top of her…
He couldn’t bear to lose Addison the same way. It didn’t matter that she’d lied to him—he cared for her!
If you care so much, why did you leave her all alone?whispered a scathing voice in his head.Just like you left Yasha alone! What in the Seven Hells is wrong with you?
“I have to go,” he said hoarsely. “I have to get back to her, right now!”
“I understand,” the priestess nodded serenely. “Go. You will find your female where the two of you were closest and the most happy.”
My domicile—she must be at my domicile,Courick thought. The question was, who was with her and what had they done to her?
Turning, he left the Sacred Grove at a run, barely stopping to grab his boots. He just hoped he got to Addison before it was too late!
21
ADDISON
